Iftar review of the day: Desert Palm Resort and Spa

Plenty of iftar venues — the ones I’ve seen listings for this Ramadan, at least — like to make mention of a view over something; a beach, water feature or landscaping. They seem to forget that by definition, it’s dark once you start eating your iftar.

But one iftar spot in Dubai for me is all about the views, and in particular, the sunset: Desert Palm Resort and Spa, out on the eastbound Dubai-Hatta road. Head out of Dubai an hour before sunset (the drive is about 30 minutes) to find yourself swathed in glowing sunset light as you drive. Once you reach the venue’s terrace — lack of haze permitting — you will have a postcard-perfect view of Dubai’s skyline with the sun setting over it as you count down the minutes to iftar.

The meal takes place in the warm, contemporary Rare restaurant; on other days, it’s a highly-rated modern steakhouse, but during iftar serves up an edited menu of Arabic classics. Desert Palm is not the place to come for a loud meal with lengthy queues; food is served at the table by knowledgeable staff and believe me, there’s plenty of it.

As the azaan sounds take your seat and you’ll find a plate of six cold mezze (tabblouleh, hummus, mouttabel, fattoush, olives and muhammara) already in front of you, with a bowl of mini pita breads (no dry, curling bread corners!) ready for dipping. After a day of fasting, it must be nice not to have to stand in a queue for a bit of hummus. Of course there is a pretty arrangement of dates, prunes and apricots, and before you know it, the hot mezze are coming thick and fast. Everything is arranged with precision — three varieties come with their own pot of dip alongside, with the cheese rolls dipped in thick, tangy labneh being my favourite. I’m usually not a fan of spinach fatayer — finding the pastry heavy and the greens dry and stringy — but here they are notable: luscious, juicy and light.

Soup? It’s already been delivered, to your left, piping hot and not spilled a bit. It’s lentil (lemon and crispy bread on the side), and if you like it and want more — just ask. (My only issue with the table service? During the starters, our little table for two became slightly crowded, leading to a game of table tetris.)

Mains are ordered from a menu, with a choice of dishes such as mixed grill, chicken biryani, fish and daoud basha (meat in a tomato-ey stew). There are also other mains that can be ordered with a supplement; the grilled merguez sausages with roasted garlic caught my eye, but I decided a mixed grill would suffice.

If you’re at all concerned that table service means you can’t have five platefuls of food from the buffet, let me allay your fears: I think I ate more here than at any buffet so far. The kofta was a fat sausage of moist, juicy minced meat, while the French-cut lamb chop is chargrilled yet pink — forget those heat-lamp chops all grey on the inside. There’s also chicken and lamb skewers and a dome of saffron rice — something for fans of the spice, as it’s the real deal with the yellow-orange strands dotted throughout. Looking for more spice? Grab that biryani — it’s fragrant and not at all oily.

Fans of Arabic pastry should save room for dessert, another sextet, this time of sweets, with umm ali and all kinds of pastries with cream and syrup presented — and more at the open kitchen counter, should you need them.

Call: 04-3238888

Price: Dh145 per person, including water and Ramadan beverages; children 4-14 years get 50 per cent off; under 4s dine free.

Don’t miss: The views over the polo fields at sunset, spinach fatayer.